Secret Admirer
by Sue Penkivech
Summary: Kitty's got a secret admirer, but who?


Disclaimer: The X-Men, unfortunately, do not belong to me. They're property of Marvel Comics. Consequently, much though I might prefer otherwise, I'm making no money off this fic.

**Secret Admirer**

"Kitty, did you get homework in Trig this morning?"

Kitty turned from her locker and laughed as she saw Kurt standing behind her, a hopeful look on his face. Even with his image inducer on, there was no mistaking the raised eyebrows.

"None," she replied, laughing, as Kurt pulled in his fist in the universal sign for "yes!" "Why, hot date with Amanda this weekend?"

"Ja," he replied happily, a big, stupid grin forming on his face. "We're going to a movie, and out for dinner. Provided I'm not totally bogged down by homework…"

"Sounds fun," she replied wistfully as she turned back to her locker and pulled it open. She could use a date herself – it'd been way too long since she'd decided things were never going to work out between her and Lance. Unfortunately, the offers weren't exactly pouring in.

"So, what're you guys going to see?" she asked as her eyes fell on a folded piece of paper on the bottom shelf of her locker. "Huh, what's this?" she said aloud, pulling it out. She was half tempted to simply discard it – she'd gotten a ton of garbage stuffed in her locker right after school had started this year. But it _had_ been a while, and there was a cute smiley drawn on the top of the note, so her interest was piqued.

"Vat is it?" Kurt asked, coming closer to lean over her shoulder, so close his fur tickled her ear.

"Just a note, Fuzzy – back off already, would you?" she replied laughing as she unfolded it, noting that Kurt didn't back off one bit. She stopped laughing, though, as she read what was written inside, a smile forming instead.

_"Dear Kitty:  
__'A hidden note, a secret crush,  
__A little boy who talks too much.  
__I'm standing in the crowd,  
__And when you smile I check you out.  
__But you don't even know my name,  
__You're too busy playing games1.'_

_"That's me, right there – just another face in the crowd. But one who's been watching you for a long time, wishing he had the balls to tell you how he felt. _

_Your Secret Admirer  
__(who's clueless when it comes to poetry, so he's borrowing song lyrics. But they say it better than I ever could, anyway)"_

"Whoa…Kitty's got a secret admirer!" Kurt sing-songed in her ear. "Any idea who?"

"No, not a clue," Kitty replied, thrusting an elbow backwards to connect with Kurt's stomach, just hard enough to make him let out an "oof!" She turned the note over curiously, trying to ignore the blush she could feel warming her face. It was typewritten on regular, ordinary printer paper – nothing to give her any lead as to who could have written it. She glanced around, catching sight of some of the New Recruits standing down the way at one of their lockers, and waved idly as she continued to scan the hall with her eyes.

"Well, whoever it is, he watches the Disney Channel," Kurt said, resuming his post over her shoulder, and she turned to look at him, a curious expression on her face.

"What do you mean?"

"That song. It's totally from that movie that was on the other night with the hologram girl."

"You're right," she replied thoughtfully, thinking back to the movie she'd been watching in the rec room earlier in the week with pretty much everyone else in the Institute, simply because there was nothing else on. Hmmm…interesting.

"C'mon, we've gotta get to the cafeteria, or the food'll be gone," Kurt complained insistently, and she tucked the note into her pants pocket.

"Oh yeah, like _that'd_ be a huge loss," she grinned, then grabbed her books and closed her locker, letting her best friend tug her along in search of lunch, setting aside her curiosity as she listened to him relate his plans for the weekend.

0000000000000000000000000000000000000

"Toss it here, man!" "No, here!"

Kicked back on a blanket in the yard, Kitty adjusted her sunglasses, then leaned over to pick up her Physics book. She'd been procrastinating, and she knew it – sunbathing and watching some of the New Recruits and Kurt play football instead of doing her homework. It was probably one of the last nice days for tanning, though, so she didn't feel too guilty about it. Glancing over, she grinned at Rogue, who was pretending to read her Lit assignment while peering at the game over the top of her book. At least she wasn't the only one…

"Hey, Kit, ya dropped something," the other girl said, and Kitty glanced down at the ground curiously. Sure enough, a folded piece of paper was lying there, one that looked just like…

The one she'd found in her locker a few days before, smiley face and all. A smile lit her face as she leaned over to pick it up.

"What is it?" Rogue asked.

"Just a note," Kitty replied, unfolding it quickly and beginning to read,

_"Dear Kitty,  
__'If I cut my hair, if I change my clothes, would you notice me?  
__If I bite my lip, if I say hello, would you notice me?  
__What's it gonna take for you to see, to get you to notice me?'2"_

"Really?" Rogue asked, and she reluctantly pulled her eyes away from the note to look over at the other girl. "That's quite a blush you've got going there for "just" a note…"

"I…must be getting sunburned," she replied, stuffing the note back in the front of her book and scrambling to her feet. "I think I'll go inside and do this – fewer distractions, anyway."

"Uh huh," her roommate commented, but when Kitty glanced over the other girl had her face determinedly buried in her book. She took one last glance at the game, just in time to see the football headed straight for her.

"Hey!" she yelled, phasing just before the ball made contact with her head. "Keep it over there, guys!"

"Sorry 'bout that," Sam said as he ran over and retrieved the ball. "Ah swear Icecube can't throw a football straight to save his life – that's the fourth time he's sent one flying this way."

Kitty rolled her eyes as the boy in question shrugged from across the lawn, grinning. She should've known.

"Yeah, I noticed; it even knocked over my books once. But that's okay, Sam – no harm done, I was just going in anyway. She saw Bobby wave, and waved back, shaking her head and grinning as she turned to head back inside.

Weird, though, she thought as she opened the door. She'd played baseball with Bobby before; he usually had a pretty good arm. Must be distracted by something.

Not that she could talk, she admitted as the door closed behind her and she immediately pulled the note back out of her book, skimming down past the section she'd already read.

_"I'd do it to, Kitty, whatever it took, just so that just once, you'd look at me and like what you saw. But I know it'll never happen. How's the song go? 'She's so hiiiigh, high above me, she's so lovely'3 – that's you. You're way out of my league, and I know it. But I can't seem to put you out of my mind."  
__ Your Secret Admirer_

_(Whoa, two song lyrics for the price of one letter!__ Talk about a bargain!)_

Kitty stared at the paper in her hand, her face warm with more than the lingering heat from outside. Who in the world would be saying things like this about her, of all people? Jean having a secret admirer she'd half expect; Scott had practically filled that role for ages. Amara –definitely. Even having been exposed as a mutant, the young Nova-Roman had no shortage of date invitations, most of which she declined. But…her? The only one who'd ever shown any interest in her was Lance, and this _definitely_ wasn't his style, even if they had still been on speaking terms. Which, last time she'd checked, they weren't.

Shaking her head, she began to tuck the paper back into her Physics book…and paused. How had it gotten in there in the first place? She'd had the book out last night, and nothing had fallen out of it then. Someone at the Institute?

Not necessarily, she reminded herself. It might've been there before and just not fallen out until now; it wasn't as if she was in the habit of checking her books for notes. For all she knew, it could've been in there for days. Her mind went back to composing a list of possible candidates; a very short one, because she honestly couldn't think of anyone likely to write things like that about _her_, as she began the trek back to her room.

If it weren't for Amanda, Kurt would have been the most likely; it seemed an awful lot like his style. Fortunately though, she knew he and his girlfriend were ridiculously happy; while she loved him dearly, he was her best friend, and the idea of him as a boyfriend was just…wrong. Arcade was more interested in her computer programs than he was in her, and Doug Ramsey, a friend of hers from school, would have been a possibility if it weren't for the fact he'd finally gotten the nerve to ask Rahne out on a date just the week before. And had spent the month prior to that rambling her ear off about the petite Scot, trying to get up the nerve. No, definitely not Doug.

Dumping her books onto her desk, she set her sunglasses on top of the pile and plopped down on the bed, grinning up at the ceiling. While she desperately wanted to know just who her admirer was, she had to admit that _not_ knowing was a lot of fun, too.

She glanced over at her alarm clock, confirmed that she had a few hours until the mystery-agenda team meeting Scott had called for later in the afternoon, and closed her eyes; more than enough time for a quick nap before then. But sleep eluded her, and she couldn't stop smiling as her mind continued to run through possible suspects for her mysterious note-sender.

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"Ok, guys, settle down," Scott said from his seat next to Professor Xavier

Kitty looked up from the paper on which she'd been absently doodling while half listening to Kurt and Rogue squabble back and forth across the table from her. If she hadn't known better, she'd have thought that they actually _were_ brother and sister; they certainly acted like it.

It took a few moments, but the room grew quiet, and Professor Xavier cleared his throat.

"As you all know, the X-Men have been running at less than full strength since Spyke left, and it's a situation that really must be remedied, given the unlikelihood of his return in the foreseeable future. So…" he continued, before he was abruptly cut off by Rogue.

"No shit," her roommate said, rubbing at the back of her head. "Why is it ah'm the one who always pays the price now that the kid ain't here? Ah swear you plan the training sessions just so that somethin' always come up and bams me in the back of the head."

Kitty joined in the general laughter that followed more by reflex than anything, though she noted that even the Professor's mouth crooked up in a smile. Her mind kept floating off, trying to figure out when someone could have inserted the note in her book, and who could have done it, even as she absently retrieved the pencil she'd been holding and resumed doodling on the pad of paper in her lap.

"Hey sis, keep close to the fuzzy dude," Kurt countered. "I'll keep you safe from the big bad Danger Room."

"Ok, ok – look," Scott interrupted before Rogue could do more than open her mouth to counter. "We've decided it's time to move one of the New Recruits up, officially. So, welcome Iceman to the ranks, everyone," he said, and Kitty watched Bobby Drake enter the room, a self conscious smile on his face.

"Dude, congratulations!" Kurt said, jumping to his feet and reaching across the table exuberantly to high five Bobby, who was coming to take the chair next to her. Startled, Kitty jerked back in her chair, her notebook falling to the floor at her feet.

"Oh, sorry," Bobby said, bending down to pick it up.

"No – I've got it –" Kitty replied, reaching down, but it was too late. Bobby picked up the pad of paper and glanced down on it, a grin forming on his face as he handed it back to her. Kitty felt her face grow warm as she snatched it from him, trying to cover her embarrassment with a nervous giggle.

"Thanks," she managed to choke out, waiting for the trademark Bobby Drake joke to come. Because honestly, she knew he wouldn't be able to pass up a page covered in chained heart doodles.

She nearly phased through the floor instead when he simply said, "No problem" with a slow wink, then took the seat next to her.

"Congratulations, Bobby, and welcome to the team," Jean said warmly from where she sat next to Hank at the end of the table.

"Thanks Jeannie. Someone's gotta keep you in line," he quipped over, and Kitty laughed as the older girl crinkled her nose at him before grinning back.

"I think you've got that backwards," Jean countered, raising her eyebrows. "We actually brought you onto the team so we could keep an eye on you. It's a full time job."

Kitty felt as if she were watching a tennis match as her head swung back to see how Bobby'd reply, absently noting that he was actually pretty cute when he smiled. She wondered if he still missed Jubilee – the two had seemingly been on the verge of dating for months before she left, and there'd actually been a pool going at one point as to when they'd make it official, and which of them would _finally_ make the first move. But the firecracker had been gone for nearly a year, now, and there was no sign that her foster-parents planned to send her back any time soon.

She really needed to find someone for him, she considered, running through the admittedly short list of female New Recruits and automatically discarding them all. She'd have to run it past Amanda the next time she saw her; maybe she'd have some suggestions as to someone at Bayville High who might be a good match.

"Well, I always maintained I needed a keeper." Bobby replied, winking broadly. "Looking for employment, Jean?"

Kitty managed to flip back just in time for Jean to reply, with a faux-sweet smile on her face, "Do I look like I'm interested in that sort of punishment? You'd need to find someone who _doesn't_ already know you, kiddo."

"You love me, Jeannie."

"According to who?"

"Achem!" Scott cleared his throat, a trace of a smile on his face. "If you two are done…"

"Never done, Scott," Bobby observed, grinning broadly as he turned back to Scott. "But I'll put it on hold, fair enough?"

Kitty stifled a laugh at the exasperated expression that formed on Scott's face. She knew Jean had always found Bobby amusing, but she also knew Scott had…issues, with his brand of humor and its expression. And its timing.

She wasn't so worried, herself. Bobby'd changed since the first mission they'd been on together, when he'd snipped the right wire, only to trigger the alarms anyway by showing off. He'd become more focused, more serious – but only when it was necessary. She swore, sometimes, that his humor was deliberately designed to lighten the mood just when they needed it most.

But he'd never screwed off on a mission again. Or at least, none that she'd been on with him, and she'd never heard complaints from any of the others. It was really high time it was made official, she thought indignantly, though she'd never really considered it before. It seemed as if he'd filled the hole left by Evan's departure almost without it having been acknowledged by anyone, herself included. Inwardly, she shook her head, embarrassed by her own previous lack of thought on the matter. Amazing, really, how someone as…attention-grabbing as Bobby could be had been so easily overlooked. Yes, Scott's probable, though not actually stated, reluctance aside, it was far past time he join the team.

"Anyway," Scott was saying as she turned her attention back to him, "Bobby, I'd like you to spend some time the next couple of weeks, going over some of the systems and…procedures, with one of the other team members. Jean, maybe you could…"

"Can't," Jean replied, casting Bobby an apologetic look. "I've got a project due this week, Scott, remember? And exams start next. I can fit in some time, I think, but not enough to do the job properly. Or to give our newest teammate the attention he deserves," she added with a wink, and Kitty giggled. "I'm sorry, Bobby, but I think someone else would be a better choice."

"Kurt?" Scott began, but Kitty watched her fuzzy blue friend shake his head.

"No can do, sorry dude," he shrugged. "My parents are arriving tomorrow; have to do the family holiday thing. My father got vacation late this year."

"I'll do it," Kitty volunteered before Scott could ask anyone else and get a negative response, feeling bad for her new teammate who was starting to look rather dejected, a sharp contrast to his joking mood only minutes before. She was slightly confused by the astonished look that formed on his face, but it was present only for a split second and quickly replaced by a smile as he met her eyes.

"Thanks Kitty – that'd be great," he said, and smiling, she nodded and turned her attention back to Scott, who had begun sketching out exactly what he wanted her to cover with their newest teammate.

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"I can't believe we're late again!" Kitty exclaimed as pulling open the door to her locker to retrieve her book for first period. "Kurt seriously needs to stop stopping at the Gut Bomb in the morning – or I need to stop riding with you guys."

"Don't look at me," Rogue shrugged, her arms already laden with books. "Not like the little furball listens to me either. Ah'm just lucky Ah've got study hall first period – no one cares all that much if Ah come in late – hey, what's that?" she asked, and Kitty looked down to see a folded white piece of paper laying at her feet.

A very familiar looking folded piece of paper, that made her breath catch and her pulse quicken the moment she recognized it for what it was.

Grinning, she scooped it up and pocketed it, trying to hide her excitement. "Nothing important," she said. "C'mon – YOU might be able to skip first hour, but I can't. God, I hate American History…"

It wasn't until after her roommate had entered the study hall and she'd listened to her History teacher complain about her tardiness that Kitty had the chance to pull out the note bearing the now expected smiley face on the top. Sliding down in her seat slightly and glancing around to ensure no one was looking, she opened it up and began to read, a smile forming on her face.

_"Dear Kitty,  
__'I get such a thrill when you look in my eyes,  
__My heart skips a beat, girl, I feel so alive.  
__Please tell me baby, if all this is true  
__Cause deep down inside, all I wanted was you.4'_

_"You have the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen – I could get lost in them. And have, the few times you've looked at me. _

_Would you do it more often if I told you how I felt? Well no, you know how I feel, but…you don't know who I am. And I don't want to take the chance that you wouldn't, if you did._

_Or something like that, anyway…I think I just confused myself…;)_

_Your Secret Admirer"_

"Ms. Pryde, are you with us?" Mr. Hennessy asked, and Kitty attempted to wipe the grin off her face as she slid the note back into her book, replacing it with an attentive expression. But it returned, as soon as her teacher's back was turned.

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"So, what do you want to see first?" Kitty asked, glancing over at Bobby, who seemed lost in thought as they made their way to the elevator that led to the lower levels.

"What?' he asked a moment later, throwing her a sheepish grin. "Oh. Sorry, just thinking about…stuff."

Kitty laughed and laid a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, don't worry. I do it all the time. Anything you want to talk about?" She looked at him closely, noticing he'd apparently gone and gotten a haircut sometime recently. It looked a lot better – kind of…deliberately mussed, and she fought back a sudden urge to either reach out and fix it or muss it more. "Nice haircut, by the way," she observed, smiling.

Bobby's face turned beet red, and Kitty giggled. "Uh, yeah, figured it was about time. Sent Jubes a picture last week from when we had the "Late-Summer Ice-skating in the Pool" extravaganza, and she's been giving me shit ever since about losing the choir boy look. Figured she had a point," he grinned sheepishly.

"Hmmm, yeah, probably," she agreed, then cocked her head slightly, looking at him closely. Maybe he _was_ still upset about Jubilee leaving, after all…

"You miss her?" she asked softly.

She was taken aback when he burst out laughing. "Miss her? Jubes? God, I wish I could go online sometime without having her pounce on me – hopefully the new boyfriend'll keep her off the computer once in a while, I suck at the whole "advice-on-relationships" thing," he said as they reached the elevator and he stopped to press the button, then leaned back against the wall. "But seriously – yeah, I miss her kinda, the Trio of Terror's just not the same as a duo, Sam's too responsible when he's not subjected to adequate peer pressure. But it's cool, I mean, it's been ages. I just worry about her once in a while. She needs to make more friends out there and stop dating losers."

"Jubilee has a new boyfriend?" Kitty asked, puzzled by his reaction. She'd expected him to confide that he was still pining for the little Sparkler, not that she was pestering him for relationship advice. Maybe there hadn't been anything there, after all.

"Latest in a series," he answered, rolling his eyes. "At least Angelo sounds better than the others, so far – the last one, Ev, was a real winner. Turned out he was using her to get some girl named Monet jealous. But hey," he interjected, startling her out of re-examining her earlier assumptions, "How 'bout you? Dating anyone since Rockhead? Since Jubes left, I'm officially out of the gossip loop."

Kitty laughed, shaking her head. "Nope, no gossip here. There's just no one interested, apparently."

Bobby threw her a surprised look, and she found herself blushing at the memory of the notebook she'd been doodling on during the meeting. Luckily, the elevator door chose that moment to open, and after they stepped in they began speaking of team-related matters. It wasn't until hours later, back in her room, that she realized Bobby'd never answered her question as to what he was thinking about.

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(The next day)

Kitty was flopped on her bed, studying for her History test, when she heard a knock at the door.

"C'mon in!" she called out, sitting up just in time to see Bobby push the door open slightly and stick his head in. "Hey, what's up? We don't have a practice, do we?" she added, as she saw he was wearing his uniform.

"Nah, just good padding. We're getting up a paintball game – want to play?" her newest teammate asked, a grin on his face.

"Paintball? Why paintball?" she asked, wrinkling her nose slightly as she smiled over at him. Granted, she knew Mr. Logan'd brought in the equipment recently, and that some of the guys had been playing around with it, but…those things _stung_ when they hit. "And who's we?"

"Well, so far it's 'Berto, Ray, and Rahne vs. me and Sam. And why not?" he shrugged, still grinning.

"Why don't you ask Tabby?" she asked, somewhat confused as to why Bobby'd be inviting her to play. Even if they were going for co-ed teams…

"Because I'm asking you," he replied with a smirk. "C'mon…" he wheedled, throwing puppy-dog eyes in her direction. "It'll be fuuuun…"

With an exasperated sigh, Kitty closed up her History book and shrugged. "Why not?" she grinned. "I guess being pummeled by paintballs beats History hands down, anyway."

An hour later, sporting bright orange dye in her hair and limping from a bruise on her leg from a paintball she hadn't phased quite soon enough to avoid, she wasn't quite as sure she'd been right about that as she skirted a tree, glancing around her cautiously. Sam and Ray were both out of the game already; Sam having pegged Ray in the chest with impressive accuracy just in time to be ambushed by 'Berto, who'd tagged the back of her teammate's head from his hiding spot up in a tree. She'd missed a perfect shot at Rahne when the younger girl had caught her scent and changed into wolf form, but she'd tagged 'Berto in the arm earlier. Unfortunately, like her leg, it hadn't been enough to take him out of the game, and she was now heading in the direction he'd been going, trying to see if she could find him again.

"Kit, look out!" she heard from the trees next to her, and she phased as she turned to see Bobby, who suddenly sprouted an orange stain in the middle of his chest, knocking him right off the iceslide he'd been coming in on.

"And another one bites the dust!" Roberto called out triumphantly from the trees on the other side, the crunch of brush making it clear that he was making his exit, stage right. Kitty, ignoring the lingering pain in her leg, ran over to where Bobby was lying, letting his ice melt away as he rubbed at the back of his head.

"Owwww…." he said, grinning as she approached, but just then she felt a sudden burst of pain in her back and lost her footing, landing smack dab on top of him in a tangle of arms, legs and paintguns.

"Well, that finishes that!" she heard Rahne say triumphantly as she opened her eyes, blushing as she realized her face was inches away from her teammate's.

"You ok?" he asked, worry evident in his eyes as he reached up to brush her hair back from her face.

"Yeah, I'm fine…well, more or less, anyway," she admitted, acutely aware of their position, and the fact that, up close, Bobby Drake's silly grin was even cuter than it was from further off. "I…I'm sorry…god, talk about embarrassing…"

"It's ok," he said with a shrug, still fingering her hair. "Kit, I…." she watched as he shook his head, then looked sheepish and dropped his hand abruptly. "We should probably go congratulate the winners," he said, and she felt her face grow warmer still. What the hell was she thinking, anyway? Scrambling off of him and standing up, she rubbed at her back with one hand, reaching down with the other to pull him to his feet, but he was already getting up.

"Yeah, we probably should. So much for the senior team, huh?" she asked nonchalantly, not quite meeting his eyes.

"Ah, we'll get 'em next time," he countered without meeting hers as they headed back to the edge of the woods and she fought without any success to think of something to say. Apparently Bobby was having much the same problem, she decided as she cast a sidelong glance at him. She'd never known him to be this quiet for this long, either.

Nice job embarrassing him, she congratulated herself sarcastically. Dropping her eyes to the ground, she kept silent until they reached the lawn and were overtaken by the elated opposite team.

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Kitty was walking down the hall to the kitchen later that evening, her nose re-buried in her History book, when a pair of figures appeared in front of her and she stopped abruptly.

"Kitty, there you are!" the Institute's newest resident called out, and Kitty chuckled as she looked fondly at thirteen year old Illyana Rasputin and her accustomed accomplice, Jamie. Both of them wore nearly identical mischievous grins at the moment, and she shook her head, wondering just what the most recent pair of troublemakers to come to power at the Institute was up to this time. Given their respective abilities, these two were always much, much harder to pin things on than she and Kurt or Bobby and Jubilee had been; it was very difficult to prove the two were responsible for anything when they _always_ had alibis. Cloning and chronospatial teleportation were handy that way, and these two made the most of it.

"We've been looking _everywhere_ for you, haven't we Jamie?" complained the young teleporter, and her friend nodded.

"Yeah. You got a package," Jamie added, thrusting a long, thin box into her hands.

"Who's it from?" she asked, glancing down at it, but saw the telltale light of one of Illyana's stepping disks, and looked back up just in time to see the kids high-fiving each other before they disappeared.

Shaking her head and grinning, she set down her book and pried open the unmistakable smiley-labeled box, her grin softening into a wistful smile as she saw the pink rose within. She reached in to pull it out, noting absently how cold it was, as if it had just been removed from a freezer in an attempt to keep it fresh. She held it to her nose, inhaling its fragrance as she set the box down as well, removing the paper that had been folded up beneath.

_"Dear Kitty,  
__'I'm surprised, that you've never been told before  
__That you're lovely,  
__and__ you're perfect,  
__and__ that somebody wants you.5'_

_You are, you know – I can't understand why you don't have a ton of guys telling you that daily. But you've got one, at least. I just wish I'd stop chickeing out when I try to tell you in person._

_What can I say? 'I'd be true, I'd be useful, I'd be cavalier, I'd be yours my dear, and I'd belong to you, if you'd just let me through.6' Problem is , I can't seem to tell you how I feel; when I try it just won't come out and we end up talking about something else._

_That's ok, though, because at least we're talking. Which is more than I'd ever hoped for._

_Hope you like the rose,_

_Your Secret Admirer_

Carefully setting the rose back in the box, Kitty retrieved it and her book from the floor, then turned and headed back up the stairs to her room, a bright and determined smile lighting her face. She had a letter of her own to write, and a self-styled sorceress/delivery girl to find.

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"I have _no_ idea what you mean, Kitty," Illyana was protesting sometime later after Kitty had encountered her in the hallway and dragged her back to her room, but the grin she was desperately trying to suppress with limited results made a lie of her assertions.

"Fine, fine," Kitty replied, rolling her eyes and shaking her head with exasperation as she folded her letter. "You found the box. Somewhere. Do you think you could just…put it back _exactly_ where you found it? I'm not even asking where that was – just, put it back."

"I could do that, I guess," the younger girl mused, then grinned. "IF I can see the letter…"

Laughing, Kitty tossed it over to the blond mischief-maker. "Fair enough, but you have to promise to give the box back to who you got it from originally," she countered, then corrected herself as the young blonde opened her mouth to protest. "Put it back, then. But make sure it's seen by the right person. Deal?"

"Deal!" Illyana replied, hastily opening the letter and reading aloud.

_"Dear Secret Admirer,  
__'This is easy as lovers go  
__So don't complicate it by hesitating and  
__This is wonderful as loving goes  
__This is tailor-made, what's the sense of waiting_?7'

_I'm returning the beautiful rose, but only because I really want to receive it in person from the giver. Would you meet me in an hour by the gazebo? I'd like to thank you personally._

_Kitty_

Illyana smiled as she finished and Kitty saw a curious look appear on her face as she accepted the letter back and tucked it into the box. "You know who it is, then?"

Kitty nodded, smiling back at the younger girl. "Yeah, I do. I just can't believe I didn't figure it out sooner.

0000000000000000000000000000000000000

Kitty glanced at her watch and sighed. An hour and a half, and still no sign of her secret admirer. Even supposing it had taken 'Yana a while to find him, which was unlikely considering the blonde's uncanny ability to hone in on anyone at the Institute at apparently a moment's notice, he should have been there by now.

There was no question, she decided dejectedly. He wasn't coming. Either it had been the latest in a neverending series of jokes, however unlikely that felt, or he'd decided he wasn't interested, after all.

Getting to her feet, her head hung, she realized just how disappointed she was. And kicked herself for not realizing sooner just who her admirer was, because, really, all the signs had been there all along, if only she'd seen them.

"Kitty?" she heard suddenly just as she was about to go down the steps, and she spun around to the sound of crackling leaves as an awkward looking Bobby Drake emerged from the brush, his trademark grin temporarily replaced by a somewhat sheepish smile.

"Bobby," she smiled warmly, gesturing for him to join her, and was rewarded by a more genuine although still rather nervous smile as he took the stairs up two at a time. "You came," she added simply as he joined her.

"Well, yeah, I…" he stammered for a moment before raising his eyes to meet hers. "You don't seem surprised," he blurted out, and she had to resist the urge to laugh – not at him, just at her own stupidity.

"I figured it out," she replied simply, shrugging her shoulders sheepishly. "Took me long enough."

"What gave me away?" he asked curiously, and she laughed.

"Lots of little things, I guess…but c'mon," she joked, "who else would borrow nearly all their song lyrics from Disney movie soundtracks? Why didn't you just tell me?" she asked, her grin softening as she cocked her head, looking at him.

"I…don't know," he replied awkwardly, then shrugged. "I guess I just didn't figure you'd be interested. Lots easier to embarrass myself on paper than in person," he added, grinning sheepishly. "C'mon, Kit, 'Bobby Drake, Prankster Extraordinaire' - I should print out business cards. No one takes me seriously."

"_Are_ you serious?" she asked softly. She thought she knew the answer, but…she just needed to hear it, for some reason. "I mean, did you mean all that stuff you wrote?"

"Umm…yeah?" he replied with a smile, shrugging one shoulder. "Yeah, I meant it. Look, I won't be a pain, I promise. I just…I wanted to…"

"Bobby?" Kitty interjected, and he stopped speaking, raising his warm, brown eyes up to hers. "I loved getting the letters. And…" suddenly self-conscious, she paused a moment, glancing down at the floor before once again raising her eyes to meet his and smiling. "I'd really, really like to get to know the giver better. Hey, where's my rose?" she asked, glancing at his empty hands, a mock-indignant look forming on her face.

"Oh shit…I forgot to grab it from Illyana? She was all rambling about mistiming her 'port, and how I was supposed to be here earlier, and…jeez, Kit, I'm sorry." Before she could reply, however, Bobby suddenly grinned at her and continued.

"Hang on a sec, I'll have one for you," he said. She watched as his brow furrowed and he stretched out his hands in front of him, closing his eyes, and wondered what he was up to. Moments later, a fully formed, detailed rose appeared in his hands, made completely of ice, and he handed it to her. "I know it's kind of cold, but…"

"It's beautiful," she said softly, taking it from him. "Thank you." Taking a step to close the gab between them, she smiled shyly before wrapping her arms around his neck loosely and looking up at him, the rose still in her hand.

"So are you," he smiled, and she dropped her eyes, feeling her face grow warm as he wrapped an arm around her waist, his other hand moving to raise her chin, his fingers trailing softly over her face and down through her hair. "I've been wanting to do this forever, it feels like," he said softly.

"Better than sending letters?" she asked, leaning into his touch, his fingers slightly cool against her skin.

"Much better than sending letters," he agreed, smiling at her as his fingers brushed through her hair, then laughing. "So, the secret's out. But you've definitely got an admirer."

Laughing, she shook her head, rewarded by a look of confusion that passed over his face briefly before she tightened her arms around his neck and kissed him. "So do you."

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Author's Note:

Ok, first Evo fic, so LOTS and LOTS of feedback would be nice!

Thanks go to Susan, whose evo!Kitty muse I'm fairly certain popped over a few times to say "But…I wouldn't SAY that!", to Jen for verifying that Jean would, to John from whom I borrowed Jamie accidentally but who then said I could keep him, and, most importantly, to Beaubier for being an incredible beta-reader and helping me put it all together!

1 "Notice Me" by the Zetta Bytes, Pixel Perfect Soundtrack  
2 "Notice Me" by the Zetta Bytes, Pixel Perfect Soundtrack  
3 "She's so High (Above Me)" by Tal Bachman  
4 "Best Years of Our Lives" by Baha Men, Shrek Sountrack  
5 "FNT" by Supersonic, Ten Things I Hate About You Soundtrack  
6 "As Lovers Go" by Dashboard Confessional, Shrek 2 Soundtrack  
7 "As Lovers Go" by Dashboard Confessional, Shrek 2 Soundtrack


End file.
